[ALBSA-Info] Greek Indictment on Racist Remarks

[Agron Alibali]

GREEK HELSINKI MONITOR (GHM)
 Address: P.O. Box 60820, 15304 Glyka Nera
 Telephone: (+30) 210.347.22.59. Fax: (+30)
210.601.87.60
 e-mail: office at g... website: 

<http://www.greekhelsinki.gr>http://www.greekhelsinki.gr

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 ---------------------- 
 
 
 PRESS RELEASE
 
 
 
 30 August 2003
 
 UPDATE: GREEK NEWSPAPERS “EPENDYTIS” AND “TA NEA” AND
MAGAZINE SUPPLEMENTS 
 “SYMBOL” AND “AKINITA STIN ELLADA” ON TRIAL IN
SEPTEMBER 2003 FOR 
 INCITEMENT TO RACIAL HATRED AND DISCRIMINATION
 
 For the two indictments below, trial dates were set
for 24 September 2003 
 (Ependytis/Symbol) and 26 September 2003 (Ta
Nea/Akinita stin Ellada).
 
 
 
 30 January 2003
 
 TOPIC: INDICTMENT OF GREEK NEWSPAPERS “EPENDYTIS” AND
“TA NEA” AND MAGAZINE 
 SUPPLEMENTS “SYMBOL” AND “AKINITA STIN ELLADA” FOR
INCITEMENT TO RACIAL 
 HATRED AND DISCRIMINATION
 
 Greek Helsinki Monitor (GHM) announces that on
13/1/2003, Public Prosecutor 
 Helene Skeparnia indicted the management of the Greek
newspapers “Ta Nea” 
 and “Ependytis” and the magazine supplements “Akinita
stin Ellada” (in the 
 Thursday issues of “Ta Nea”) and “Symbol”, for
inciting racial hatred and 
 discrimination through published material. The
indictment was made 
 following complaint reports filed by GHM on 8/1/2003,
for violation of 
 articles 1 (prohibiting racial discrimination or
hatred) and 2 (prohibiting 
 public expressions through the press of ideas
offensive to persons due to 
 their origin) of Law 927/1979 (as amended with Law
1419/1984). This law was 
 amended with article 39, paragraph 4 of Law
2910/2001, which enables the 
 prosecutor to issue indictments ex officio. As Greece
has admitted in its 
 relevant reports to international organizations, the
antiracism law was 
 almost never applied and, as far as is known, the
only ex officio 
 indictments ever been issued were the ones following
complaints by GHM, in 
 August 2002 

(http://www.greekhelsinki.gr/bhr/english/organizations/ghm/ghm_13_08_02.rtf)

 and January 2003. Hopefully, the Greek justice system
will properly apply 
 the antiracism law in the trials which are expected
to be set for the near 
 future given the brief statute of limitation for
these offences. It is 
 underlined, however, that the indictments of last
August have not led to 
 trial dates so far: the Chief of the Prosecutor’s
Office of Athens was 
 already alerted by GHM that there is a danger for the
offences to be 
 statute-barred because of the delay. Hopefully, the
“Public Prosecutor’s 
 Year 2003” announced by the Public Prosecutor of the
Supreme Court a few 
 days ago will not be blackened by negligence in an
area whose developments 
 are monitored by the UN and Council of Europe
institutional instruments 
 combatting racism. These institutions have already
criticized Greece for 
 the lack of punishment (also) for offences of racial
hatred and discrimination.
 
 GHM pressed charges against “Ependytis” and “Symbol”
for publishing the 
 following article by Marina Sakale-”Lady Marks”, on
12/10/2002:
 
 “Even a holy man needs to be threatened. And the
Albanian even more, or so 
 does the lady believe. Because, she concludes, an
Albanian can turn his 
 benefactors into real-life martyrs.
 
 § The Ottoman army was afraid of one single thing:
Albanians. And I 
 don’t mean just as opponents but also as
comrades-in-arms. Albanians were 
 regarded as the best of warriors. They had no equal
in massacring and 
 looting, they always fought in their own battalions,
and they had their own 
 officers. Turks regarded them as being indispensable
because they were 
 brave, fearless and sabre-rattling. Still, it was
impossible to impose 
 military discipline upon them and make them loyal to
the Sultan. Turks and 
 Kurds would fight for the Sultan and Islam, but
Albanians would fight for 
 something more concrete: the loot. The battalions of
Turk-Albanians (Muslim 
 Albanians) were the fear of Greek rayas
(subordinates), because their 
 excessive enthusiasm in the repression of liberation
rebellions was 
 proverbial. The Albanians could not demonstrate any
spirit of co-operation, 
 not even towards their other comrades; at nights,
after the looting, fights 
 would break out between them and there were stabbings
over the loot. We 
 should not forget that the Greek word “besha” is of
Albanian origin and 
 means “word of honor”. The Ottoman army would always
ask Albanians to give 
 “besha”, their word of honor, before hiring them,
because the latter ones 
 had many times stabbed their comrades “babeshika”,
i.e. with no honor, at 
 the back.
 § I recall all these because every time I come to
Greece, I hear an 
 avalanche of complaints from my mother’s side and
numerous friends on that 
 “terrible” situation that exists in our country
because of the “Albanian 
 plague”. I have friends who were so generous to
Albanians, offering them 
 work and accommodation; they baptized them, thus
becoming their spiritual 
 parents. Some Albanians do have “besha” when they
come to Greece. But 
 plenty of them are “babeshides”, [i.e. with no
“besha”, no good word of 
 honor]. For example, a friend of mine recently
discovered by accident, that 
 the Albanian she had baptized had been baptized twice
more. She was furious 
 and when she mentioned this to him, the Albanian
confessed that he did it 
 for the golden crosses and the gifts he would get.
“We are poor people. 
 What else can we do? We have to make a living
somehow”, he told her with a 
 shy smile. But when my friend decided to drive him
away, he threatened to 
 kill her and her family. Another couple, friends of
mine, had employed an 
 Albanian as their driver. They bought suits for him,
neckties and shoes. 
 When he was injured seriously in a motorcycle
accident, they visited him in 
 hospital and even paid for his hospitalization. They
even thought of 
 becoming his god-parents. When they decided to repair
their house in 
 Glyfada, they asked him to stay there for the
duration of the works. He was 
 an unfortunate Albanian they had taken under their
wings and they had tried 
 to help him stand on his own two feet. Things were
fine until the work 
 finished and it was time for him to leave the house.
“But I live here”, he 
 told them, “you can’t kick me out of my home”, and he
closed the door in 
 their faces. The couple called the police, and,
naturally, they removed him 
 from the house. They decided not to ask for his
prosecution, and to cast 
 their bread upon water. (Those Greek waters are
filled with the Greek bread 
 given to Albanians). However, they reckoned without
their Albanian host. 
 He filed a complaint against his friend, claiming
that he had used coarse 
 language calling him a “dirty Albanian”. My friend,
who happens to be a 
 university professor with academic distinctions on
antiracism, was 
 acquitted triumphantly. However, half the university
had to take the stand 
 and save him from the claws of the Albanian and the
Albanian-lover 
 pettifogging lawyer who was advising him to press
charges against his 
 benefactors. By the way, the Albanian had entered
Greece illegally using a 
 fake passport and he had already one conviction
against him. I have an 
 endless pool of stories like that.
 § What did the Turks in the Ottoman army do to
discipline those 
 indispensable Albanians and make them have some
“besha”? They would make an 
 example of them, punishing them in the harshest of
ways. When I say “make 
 an example out of them”, I mean an example for the
others, because the 
 recipients of the punishment would not survive to
learn their lesson. And 
 it seems that even Turks have something useful to
teach us in this area. 
 Because when the Greek Navy decided to sink some
boats with 
 Albanians those who plague the poor citizens of Corfu
the problem went 
 away in Corfu. However, there is also the other side
to the Albanian coin. 
 Karaiskakis, Miaoulis, Kanaris, Bouboulina, Tzavelas,
Kolokotronis… the 
 list is endless. They were all heroes of the Greek
Revolution [of 1821], 
 and they were all of Albanian origin. The difference
was that they had 
 accepted Orthodox Christianity and Greek culture, and
their descendents, 
 and the descendents of half of the Greek population
of Albanian origin, are 
 Greeks. And they are some of the best ones.
 § This will also be the case with Albanians in two
generations time. 
 As long as, in the short term, we exhibit exemplary
cruelty to those who 
 break the law, in order to respect us and the type of
society we have 
 managed to create, and in the long term, to integrate
them in our nation 
 through our religion and culture.”
 
 In the past, GHM had pressed charges against “Ta Nea”
and the real estate 
 supplement, “Akinita stin Ellada”, for routinely
publishing want-ads that 
 contain the specification “no foreigners.”
 
 The following persons testified yesterday and today
as complainants or 
 witnesses before the competent magistrates: Gregory
Vallianatos, GHM 
 Chairperson; Nafsika Papanikolatou, Minority Rights
Group-Greece 
 Spokesperson; Halouk Pirali, President of the Foreign
Refugee Association 
 of Greece; Panayote Dimitras, GHM Spokesperson;
Angeliki Kotsantoni, GHM 
 Migrants Project Coordinator; Reimonda Celniku,
sister of Albanian citizen 
 Gentjan Celniku who was killed by a police officer.
Haluk Pirali and 
 Reimonda Celniku also constituted themselves civil
claimants, considering 
 themselves as being directly offended by the racist
ads and the 
 Albanophobic article respectively. In their
testimonies, all the above 
 stressed the accountability of democratic newspapers
that chose among the 
 multitude of letters, ads and articles they receive,
many of which they 
 don’t publish, to publish texts with this sort of
racist content, without 
 any disclaimer, and thereby create the impression
that such opinions are 
 acceptable in democratic discourse. In this way, they
are contributing to 
 the development of a climate of racial hatred and
discrimination. As one 
 witness stated, “If I wanted to read articles like
that I would have bought 
 extreme-rightwing, racist newspapers”! Reimonda
Celniku added that a 
 similar climate of “Albanophobia” contributed to the
murder of her brother. 
 Similar accountability is assigned to the publication
of racist want-ads., 
 which call for the systematic marginalization of
refugees and immigrants.
 
 The complaints cite all relevant articles in the
international instruments 
 of the UN and the Council of Europe prohibiting and
calling for the 
 punishment of all forms of racial discrimination,
which Greek judges now, 
 and perhaps for the first time, are called upon to
take into consideration. 
 GHM also highlighted the fact that it has started an
effort to “activate” 
 the antiracism law, in order for Greece not to be
subjected to further 
 negative recommendations of the UN and Council of
Europe bodies.
 
 
 ____________________________________________________
 
 Internet Addresses: Balkan Human Rights Web Pages: 

<http://www.greekhelsinki.gr>http://www.greekhelsinki.gr
 The Balkan Human Rights 
 List: 

<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/balkanhr>http://groups.yahoo.com/group/balkanhr
 The Greek Human Rights List: 

<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/greekhr>http://groups.yahoo.com/group/greekhr
 Center of Documentation and Information on Minorities
in Europe - Southeast 
 Europe: <http://www.cedime.net>http://www.cedime.net
 GHM Board: Kevin Boyle, Panayote Dimitras, Orestis
Georgiadis, Dimitrina 
 Petrova, Gregory Vallianatos.
 International Advisory Committee: Savvas Agouridis,
Teuta Arifi, Ivo Banac, 
 Vladimir Bilandzic, Marcel Courthiade, Loring
Danforth, Fernand de 
 Varennes, Victor-Yves Ghebali, Henri Giordan,
Krassimir Kanev, Will 
 Kymlicka, Magda Opalski, Theodore S. Orlin, Dimitrina
Petrova, Alan 
 Phillips, Aaron Rhodes, Vladimir Solonari, Patrick
Thornberry, Stefan 
 Troebst, Boris Tsilevich, Tibor Varady, Marc Weller.
 Affiliation to International Organizations:
Consortium of Minority 
 Resources (COMIR), Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights
Network (EMHRN), 
 European Roma Rights Center (ERRC), International
Freedom of Expression 
 Exchange (IFEX), International Helsinki Federation
for Human Rights (IHF), 
 Minority Rights Group International (MRGI), One World
Net, South East 
 Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), World Organization
Against Torture (OMCT).
 
 
 

        

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